Costa Rica Travel + Food Photography

Since the beginning of the year is usually a slow time for weddings, it’s a great time to get away for some R&R and start the new year off with a beautiful view. This January we traveled to Costa Rica’s central valley and stayed in the most glorious bed and breakfast called Villa Fauna. The property is owned by Elle & Jason, an adorably in-love entrepreneurial couple that decided to ditch their high-stress American jobs and move to Costa Rica to pursue their dreams of a tropical, carefree life. Villa Fauna is entirely plant based, so all their handmade breakfast dishes are vegan. While there, we photographed their property and many of their menu items, including tropical fruits and thirst-quentching smoothies, warm berry and nut muffins, coconut crusted baguette french toast, casado (the typical costa rican meal featuring rice, black beans and fried smashed plantains), tofu scramble, homemade vegan sausage and fresh glazed doughnuts. Each dish was elegantly styled by V.Curiosity, our travel partners and Costa Rican partners in crime. Everything was absolutely scrumptious, and I was delighted to discover that french fries are indeed vegan. (score!)

After our gluttonous photoshoot, we took Elle and Jason out to the nearby waterfalls for some frolicking and fun portraits. There are waterfalls almost everywhere in the area and the most gorgeous and powerful ones we witnessed over the next few days were at La Paz Waterfall Gardens and Animal Sanctuary. Other highlights of the trip included a local casado lunch with a stunning view of the valley at La Casita Del Cafe, and a tour/coffee tasting at a small family-owned organic coffee farm called El Toledo. Best of all, every evening we made our way back to Villa Fauna and enjoyed a cocktail on the veranda with views of the jungle, mountains and ocean. On our last day, the volcanic ash and hazy clouds cleared and we were presented with the most spectacular sunset view of my life. I can’t imagine a more peaceful start to the year. We returned to Las Vegas with a few well-earned mosquito bites, but so refreshed and ready to rock 2017! Pura Vida, my friends.